Concarneau

People lived in the territory of the commune of Concarneau since ancient times, as evidenced by several dolmens of the Neolithic era, the city of the Iron Age and the settlement of the Gallo-Roman period.

The oldest document mentioning Konkarno is the cartulary of the abbey Landevenek, written around 1050. It mentions a settlement existing in the Bezek region and on the island of Konk, founded by the monks of the Landevenneck Abbey. According to other sources, Konkarno was founded by Konkar, the son of Urbian and the grandson of King Yudikael . He expelled the Picts and settled on a rocky island, later named Konkarno.

The center of the medieval city was the island of Konk, on which is now located Ville-Klose (translated from French as "City Behind the Wall"). A castle was built here, which has not survived to our time. In the XIII century, Duke Jean II ordered the construction of stone walls around the castle, which was very rare at that time - in the XII century, only five cities in Brittany had stone fortifications.

The well-fortified city at the mouth of the Moro River became the subject of rivalry between the British and French and the arena of numerous battles, especially during the Breton Succession War , when the British, who came to the aid of Jean de Montfort , occupied the city. Only thirty years later, in 1373, the stableable Bertrand du Haecklen took the city on behalf of the King of France Charles V.

Religious wars did not pass Konkarno. On January 17, 1576, a small group of Protestants seized power in the city by cunning, expelling Governor Louis de Lézonne, a League supporter. They called for the help of the Protestant fleet from La Rochelle , but even before his arrival, local Catholics rebelled and killed the Protestants. The city remained loyal to the governor of Brittany, Duke de Merquer, until the end of the war and swore allegiance to Henry IV only after his conversion to Catholicism.

In the XVII-XVIII centuries, fortifications were modernized, new ships were built, and more powerful guns were installed on the walls of Ville-Klose. In 1680, Concarneau visited Vauban and ordered the improvement of the defense system. The roofs of the towers were demolished, which allowed the installation of artillery on the platforms.

With the beginning of the industrial revolution, the city is changing. At the beginning of the 19th century, a new pier was built to better protect the port, as well as the long promenade connecting it with the entrance to Belle Klose. The bourgeoisie begins to build houses along the berths outside Belle Klose. In 1859, zoologist Jean-Victor Coast opened a marine laboratory in Konkarno, which is the oldest institution of this kind to date, the purpose of which is to disseminate information on the rational breeding of oysters.

Starting in 1851, the first canneries specializing in sardines and tuna appeared in the city. In 1877 there were 20 factories in the city, and in 1900, 30 factories with 2,000 workers per 7,000 inhabitants. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the production of canned food began to decline, although by now Konkarno remains an important fishing port (the first French port for tuna and the sixth port for small fisheries) with a large shipbuilding sector. From the end of XIX century, tourists began to develop interest in the city, caused, among other things, by the formation of a large community of artists in it.

• The old town of Belle Klose, located on a rocky island at the mouth of the Moro River and connected by a bridge to the main part of the city: well-preserved ramparts with 8 towers and 3 gates, beffroy, the former church of St. Genole; there are many restaurants and souvenir shops in the old town, as well as a fishing museum
• Chateau Keriole, neo - Gothic style castle, built in 1863-1883 for Princess Zinaida Yusupova
• The Marinarium is a former marine laboratory, currently a research center with a large marine aquarium open to the public.
• Manor of Moro XV century
• Stang al-Lin Mansion or Pink Castle
• Fort Cabelu at the cape controlling the entrance to the Moro Estuary

Concarneau is the ninth largest fishing port in France in terms of total tonnage.

Employment structure:

• agriculture - 4.1%
• industry - 17.2%
• construction - 6.6%
• trade, transport and services - 42.7%
• state and municipal services - 29.3%

The unemployment rate (2015) is 16.0% (France as a whole - 13.5%, the Finister department - 12.7%).
The average annual income per person, euro (2015) - 20 598 (France as a whole - 20 150, Finister department - 20 481).

Population dynamics, people

Since 2008, the post of Mayor of Concarneau has been held by André Fidelin, a member of the Republican Party. In the 2014 municipal elections, the right-wing bloc headed by him won in the 2nd round, receiving 55.79% of the vote.

Since 1905, a costumed Festival of Blue Nets ( French Fête des Filets Bleus ) has been held annually in the city, dedicated to traditional Breton fishing culture.

In Concarneau, the action of the novel by George Simenon "The Yellow Dog" takes place. The scene of the film “Price of a Head” has also been moved here.

From Conkarno was the fishing trawler "Lutetia" in the film " If the Guys of the World ... " 1957

•   Penzance , UK since 1982
•   Bielefeld , Germany since 1969
•   Mbour , Senegal since 1974

• Jean-Marie Le Bree (1817-1872), inventor and glider, one of the pioneers of aviation
• Alfred Guillau (1844-1926), artist

• National Institute of Statistics
• 2014 municipal election results
• Cultural Heritage of the Commune

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  Ville Klose

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  Beffroy at the entrance to the old city

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  Ville Klose

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  Place Saint-Genole in Ville-Claus

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  Closed Church of St. Genole

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  Port view

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  Chateau Cariole

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  White sand beach

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  Marinarium

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  Manor Moro

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  Pink castle